PlayStation 3 got thumbs up by some amateur gamers and technology aficionados. The New York Sun asked its night photography editor, Paul “Knuckles” Kim, photography editor Konrad Fiedler, information technology manager Mark Barran, senior designer Michael Chatham, and a designer in the business production department, Ryan Ganley, last evening to play or watch Playstation 3 on a large high-definition screen set up in a conference room.

Mr. Kim was disappointed at how long the PS3 took to load and update the system software so that the games could run. But after that took place, he exclaimed, “Graphically, it’s much, much better” than what he had seen before. Mr. Barran said PlayStation 3 was more of a home entertainment center, with a built-in multi-card reader making it easier to store pictures, MP3 music, and so on. The outside of the Play Station got praise: The form and shape of its wavy black PS 3 console looked “more organic,” said Mr. Ganley.

Playing NBA07, one can see players’s facial expressions – and even sweat. “The basketball players are glistening,” said Mr. Fiedler, who added that the overall view of the game was “one closer step to reality.” “The way the players move,” said Mr. Barran, “is a lot more fluid.” There were quick change in camera angles, and players perform “jukes” or fake moves to confuse opponents. Mr. Barran noted the realistic sound of sneakers squeaking on the basketball court. The game “looks faster,” said Mr. Ganley.

Next on tap was warfare in “Resistance: Fall of Man,” where a virus has invaded Europe and Americans land in England in 1951 to fight enemy called “Chimera.”

“It’s sick,” said Mr. Kim, using a slang expression of approval. The viewers see trucks on fire, debris flying, crossfire, class fragmenting, and other ambient “stuff you might not notice but it adds to the overall experience,” said Mr. Kim. Mr. Ganley said this new system made up for the small details that PlayStation 2 left out. He said the games seemed to have improved storylines, too. The screen fades out in black and white when the one playing dies.

Mr. Chatham entered as “Genji: Days of the Blade,” a samurai game, was being tested. “The graphics are incredibly intense,” he said. “You don’t see pixels. The 3-D depth is very realistic.” Metal blades clashed, as warriors battled amidst flames and bits of ash flying around temple grounds. Mr. Chatham said even the heat distortion from the flames on the screen looked impressive.

Mr. Barran, who owns PlayStation 2, said, “I would definitely at some point purchase this system.” Mr. Kim was more circumspect: “It meets my expectations. I wouldn’t say it exceeds my expectations.”